In this session, gain access to your class lists and learn the workflow of using LanSchool in your classroom to narrow student access to websites or apps.

Agenda

Discussion of power dynamics and student relationships… What are my two golden rules of LanSchool?

What situations are tools inappropriate? What tools are going to trigger student outbursts?

How would students react if you ripped a paper out from under their pencil or pen? The digital equivalent of that would be to use the blank screen, shut down or limit web/app settings without warning.

Would you rummage through a student’s backpack, wallet or purse?

What do you do to prevent power struggles? Announce you’re using LanSchool features and give a countdown from 10 seconds before activating it. That gives students time to save work, finish a submission or otherwise get their digital space ready.

Demonstration of connecting to the LanSchool roster server (ask me about the “desk reference”)

Common functions and tools’ benefits and drawbacks

Selective vs class-wide functions

Limiting apps and web access

File distribution

Two Golden Rules of LanSchool

In my Tuesday sessions, I tried to communicate two Golden Rules of LanSchool:

Thou shalt only use LanSchool when students are scheduled to be with you and shalt always dismiss students from LanSchool so as to prevent disrupting their next classes. (Only use LanSchool at the time you see those students.) And, by extension, thou shalt not “tinker” with LanSchool if a class is not presently with you.

Thou shalt announce or give fair warning to students when disrupting their digital space (i.e. taking over a screen, closing web pages or shutting down apps).

In a school culture where we take tardies and classroom disruptions so seriously, we need to take the use of LanSchool pretty seriously. So, authentically training teachers on how to use LanSchool is tricky. I can’t load student computers after-school, nor can I necessarily ask teachers to use certain features while those students are in other classes. However, there are some periods that work well for training one-on-one.

Benefits of Duties

Teachers who have study halls as their duty have a roster in PowerSchool and thus in Schoology. With these quiet and generally laid-back environments, I’m able to show teachers how to use LanSchool in a low-risk environment. We aren’t pressured by lesson plans or timing of getting things done. We can talk to students about the features without wasting instructional time. So far, it has made for a good opportunity to get teachers using LanSchool and testing some features

The Best Place to Learn is in the Classroom

Like with Schoology, I know that learning how to use this technology is best done with the teacher, students and me in the classroom. This year, I have been making my calendar available with Calendly so that teachers can find a good time to invite me in. Calendly has recently added the ability to add custom start times, so now teachers can set up a class visit or coaching session at the strange start times that we have with 51 minute periods and 5 minute passing periods. So, book me up!